As luck would have it
by withered
Summary: "Is he not the most handsome man you've ever seen?" / "He's tolerable, I suppose."


**An alternative canon piece.**

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As luck would have it

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Caroline Bingley could not believe her luck.

She fretted that they would not be able to tour Pemberley with the rains this morning, but the clouds had parted and suddenly all was well again. That the earlier torrent put off any other visitors put Caroline in a far greater mood as she, and by extension her sister, Louisa, was able to monopolize the attention of the housekeeper.

The crone seemed happy to be plied with questions about the estate, having lived and worked for well over a generation.

Caroline was even more delighted to find that the estate suited her perfectly.

She heard tell of Mr. Darcy's home from her brother and the gossip in the London parlors, but seeing it for herself was beyond her greatest imaginings. "Oh, so charming," she cooed; the high ceilings, the grand ballroom, the dining rooms, the sitting rooms, oh! They were everything she could have ever wanted!

"Yes ma'am," the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds agreed, delighted. "Mr. Darcy takes great pride in his ancestral home."

"As he should," Caroline was quick to remark. A servant who took such pride in their master's home must have an employer that treats their staff well, while such a thing was never a requirement for Caroline in a husband, she was sure it was hardly a strike against his name.

At this stage, though, the illustrious Mr. Darcy was untarnished as ever!

Her sister, Louisa, knowing this mused, "Mr. Darcy could delight in his chickens if he wished!"

"Fortunately, my master doesn't," Mrs. Reynolds said, jovial still, "However, he does have a great love of riding."

"Oh, but of course," the sisters echoed with Louisa offering an eye-roll when the housekeeper wasn't looking. Caroline couldn't bring it in her to care much about the old biddy being so chatty – it would give her ample opportunity to ask as many questions as she wished about Mr. Darcy – and Caroline resolved that once they were wed, Mrs. Reynolds would be suitably disciplined for her loose lips.

"Is your master home often?"

"Not as often as we would all like. We're all hoping that when he weds he'll take up more permanent residence. Of course, he will still keep his London townhouse for business, but Pemberley is where he belongs."

"I'm sure Mr. Darcy will do his duty," Caroline remarked.

"Of course, Mr. Darcy is a great man, you know!" Instead of persisting in her exclamations of Mr. Darcy's virtues, Mrs. Reynolds decided, "Let me show you to the statues, they capture my master's likeliness so well!"

Practically jittery with excitement, the young ladies agreed that this course of action was agreeable before strolling on through the house.

"Your master, is he a good man?"

"The best," the housekeeper insisted. "He's always so fair, very strict and quiet, mind you, but expected of a conscientious man like himself. You have not met my master, have you ma'am?"

"No, indeed, we haven't the pleasure," Caroline said, "Though he is acquaintances with our brother, Charles."

Foolishly, their brother hadn't thought to make introductions sooner once he met Mr. Darcy, and by the time Caroline discovered the connection, Mr. Darcy had left for Kent with his sister.

"Oh yes, Mr. Bingley is quite a regular visitor of the estate as of late."

"I suppose it's because he is looking to purchase in the neighborhood," Caroline said with no hint of triumph in her voice.

Her family had always intended to be landed gentry, and now here was the perfect opportunity! With Mr. Darcy and Pemberley less than a mile away and Charles' friendship with the gentleman apparently established, the ensuring courtship between she and Mr. Darcy would be ripe with convenience.

"Oh, how delightful; I'm sure Mr. Darcy will be overjoyed to know, if he doesn't already!" Mrs. Reynolds gushed.

"Yes, it'll provide ample opportunity to visit the impeccable grounds if Charles deigns to ever introduce us," Caroline couldn't help but gripe, fortunately, Mrs. Reynolds motherly ways extended to visitors of the grand house, and she soothed, "I'm sure you shall get the opportunity soon enough, my master is in the area on a personal errand."

She gasped. How titillating! How positively perfect! Oh, how lucky she was indeed! "Oh! I had no idea!"

Mrs. Reynolds chuckled. "Yes, he is currently visiting some friends, but he is expected back within the hour."

A clock chimed just as they reached an archway, and seemingly startled, the housekeeper said, "Oh dear! Forgive me, please feel free to observe the statues and figurines, I'll only be a moment."

Nodding their assent to be left behind, the Bingley sisters entered and were suitably delighted at the offerings to be had.

As they perused the various art pieces, they came upon a young lady admiring a particular piece. She was pretty enough – dark hair and darker eyes set in a tanned complexion and built upon a wiry frame – Caroline decided she was not a great beauty at all – in fact there was a shrewdness to her features, to her eyes in particular that Caroline did not like one bit. Her style was unimpressive, _plain_ , even if the green complemented her, there was little to recommend when the dress looked like it had been through enough seasons as it was, let alone to be worn while visiting an estate like Pemberley.

That Louisa loudly whispered, "Would you look at her hem, six inches deep in mud!" only served to bolster Caroline's decision that this young lady was clearly beneath her station and therefore her notice.

Still, the statue she was admiring was not without its merits. Even savages could have taste.

"My, is this Mr. Darcy?" Louisa murmured a hint of jealousy colouring her tone while Caroline couldn't help but feel infinitely pleased.

He is handsome, she thought with no small amount of relief and glee. Oh, perfect – Mr. Darcy was perfect indeed! Lucky, lucky girl she was!

With an almost dreamy sigh, Caroline mused aloud, "Is he not the most handsome man you've ever seen?"

The lady beside them, admiring the same statue, hummed thoughtfully before with a careless shrug, she replied, "He's tolerable, I suppose."

Not even able to hide their shock, the lady glanced at them in passing, an arch sort of smile on her lips before she offered, "He has a tendency towards arrogance, it colours his complexion most unbecomingly."

"You'd never know it, just looking at him," Louisa said, in sorts but recovered more than Caroline.

"No, but you can see," the lady said with a hint of a frown knitting her brows together. "He doesn't smile much."

"Do you know him, then?" Caroline asked, a hint of irritation nipping at her words.

"Adequately enough, I suppose."

With a raised brow, Louisa asked, "And you would not recommend him?"

"Recommend him," the lady repeated in a murmur before shaking her head with a slight smile. "I suppose it depends what for."

"Why, what all single young ladies would want a single, eligible gentleman for: marriage."

The lady huffed out a laugh, breaking out into a breathless smile before shaking her head once more. "Marriage, based on what?"

Impatient, Caroline demanded, "What else can one base marriageability on?"

"Compatibility? Chemistry?" she offered in kind.

"You believe in luck then," Louisa said, not hiding her snort.

"I prefer fate, actually," the lady rectified.

"I wouldn't hinge on it," Caroline declared, "not if you're willing to die a spinster."

She chuckled then. "I'd sooner die a spinster then marry for anything less than love."

Before either Louisa or Caroline could say anything on the matter, whether to laugh or offer the sage advice of two women well versed in the marriage mart of London and it's society, a decidedly male voice interrupted from behind them, "It's fortunate then that's exactly what you've achieved."

Turning in surprise, Caroline felt her good luck sour in her throat, even as she choked, "Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, I presume?"

He bowed his head. "Miss Bingley; Mrs. Hurst; forgive me, I had no idea you were taking a tour of the estate, Charles is in the billiards room as we speak. I'm sure he'll be willing to introduce us in a moment, Mrs. Reynolds, if you would?"

His housekeeper, who had apparently followed him in, nodded her agreement before departing – likely to collect Charles.

Mr. Darcy turned to the pauper of a lady and offered his hand. "Miss Elizabeth, I was wondering where you went off to."

"Just admiring your bust," she said sweetly, and before Caroline could even think of bringing up this _Miss Elizabeth_ 's disapproval for the statue and by virtue, its subject, she added, "You've been smiling so much, I've forgotten what you normally look like."

Surprises aplenty, the gentleman sniffed. "Am I to understand that you find my happiness unfamiliar?"

"I'm sure I'll get used to it," she had the gall to tease.

When Charles finally made his way to the room, introductions began with the relevant bows and curtsies before he turned to this _Miss Elizabeth_ woman, and with a huff of a laugh, declared, "I don't know if it is prudent to introduce someone I have only had the pleasure of meeting just a few days ago, but this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Hertfordshire."

"I've never heard of it," Caroline said sweetly, and to her horror, the lady replied in kind, "It's hardly necessary when I shall be of Derbyshire soon enough."

"Oh," Louisa echoed. "You are moving into the neighborhood as well?"

"To Pemberley, actually," Mr. Darcy said, resting his gloved hands on hers on the arm he had offered. "Once the banns have been read, and we're actually wed, of course."

"Yes," Charles said, cheerful as ever. "Darcy informed me that they've reached an arrangement. How fortunate are we to hear of it straight from the proverbial horse's mouth! What were the odds?"

Caroline swallowed against the ash in her throat. "Indeed…"

* * *

 **Oblivious Caroline is the gift that keeps on giving.**


End file.
